Local Gov Life
Local Gov Life
ICMA
Local Gov Life - S03 Episode 02: Local Government - It's a Rewarding Profession
18 minutes Posted Jun 15, 2018 at 11:59 am.
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For four decades, Carl Valente has served local and state governments throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, while also serving five years as financial management director of ICMA. For the past 13 years, Valente has served as the town manager of Lexington, Massachusetts, a town that is celebrated as the site of the first shots of the American Revolutionary War in the Battle of Lexington in 1775. Valente notes in the podcast that this moment in history has an impact on the community to this very day.

In this episode of Making A Difference, Valente briefly touches on why he chose the local government management profession - and it came down to three things: 1) a call to public service made by President John F. Kennedy; 2) local government management principles and how important they were to running a local organization; and 3) exposure to policy aspects of government. And after a long career, Valente, who is set to retire in August 2018, credits his longevity to proficiency, keeping up with the changes, creating a professional development plan for himself, working hard to connect with residents, and focusing on what's important to the residents - not what's important to you.

About ICMA

ICMA’s vision is to be the leading association of local government professionals dedicated to creating and supporting thriving communities throughout the world. We do this by working with our more than 12, 000 members to identify and speed the adoption of leading local government practices to improve the lives of residents. ICMA offers membership, professional development programs, research, publications, data and information, technical assistance, and training to thousands of city, town, and county chief administrative officers, their staffs, and other organizations throughout the world. Find out more about ICMA, and the profession, at our website: http://www.icma.org

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